John Keeney wrote:

I would think.
A few years ago in The Smoky Mountains National Park I
witnessed some fool approaching two bear cubs hand out
stretched like he was offering a nut to a chipmunk. Momma
bear charged him, he turned and ran (laughing like the idiot
he was) and the three bears headed for the dense brush.

A very interesting overview of black bear dangers in the US
and Canada can be found at:

http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/bears/17275

Complete with some gory details on fatal attacks. Most
interesting is the depth of stupidity some people exhibit
in dealing with bears.

In summary, although black bears tend to be overall non-aggressive
and no special threat to humans, black bear aggressiveness
varies a good deal by region.

Bears of the eastern US are the most mild and timid of the
species, with heightened aggressiveness in south and central
north. Canadian bears in the western part of the country
can be dangerous, with the bears of non-coastal British
Columbia being more dangerous than grizzlies!

The real terror is the "predacious black bear", which
fortunately isn't especially common, although more likely
to be encountered in the wilds of BC. It will actually prey
on humans.

Speculation as to why the bears vary so much in aggression
varies, but perhaps northern conifers provide less vegetation
to feed on as in more southern climates (a US black bear is
more vegetarian than carnivore).

Also perhaps habituation to humans. The bears in the deep
wilderness of inner BC may not know what a human is, other
than a tastey looking treat that is exceptionally slow and
unaware and apparently rather stupid.

Interesting stuff, but I think I'm mostly safe from the bears
until my next visit to BC!


SMH